FORM-2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2006
COMPLETE
Specification
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)
AN AUTOMATIC WATER SEPARATOR ARRANGEMENT
FLEETGUARD FILTERS PVT. LTD.
an Indian Company,
of Kirloskar House', 100, Anand Park, Aundh,
Pune-411 007,
Maharashtra, India.
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a water separator.
In particular the present invention relates to separation of water from fuel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Transportation is a key part in today's life. The most practical and common form of transportation is the automobile. The automobile has revolutionized the way people travel, making once remote areas accessible to the vast majority of people. Automobiles are run with the help of fuel such as gasoline or diesel. It is essential that the fuel used is clean for efficient and optimum performance of the engine of the vehicle.
Fuels used in automobile are typically gasoline or diesel. Fuels should be handled carefully from the time since the fuel leaves the oil refinery and enters the fuel tank of an automobile, particularly in the case of diesel fuel. Diesel fuel has the tendency to attract water and lead to contamination of the fuel. This is primarily due to hygroscopic nature of diesel fuel and temperature difference between tank fuel and pump / injector return fuel. Thus, this natural property of diesel fuel leads to serious moisture related problems in diesel engine and is referred to as Diesel Bug. Diesel fuel is heavier than gasoline and as such the ability to vaporize or the volatility of diesel fuel is much lower than that of gasoline. The lower volatility of diesel fuel allows air and moisture to infiltrate the diesel fuel in both vehicle and bulk storage tanks at a much faster rate than gasoline. Water condensation in diesel fuel storage tanks is a continual problem which is faced by the

automobile using diesel. The problem of water condensation becomes a greater problem as the storage time of the fuel becomes longer. The suspended water can cause severe problems in water separators presently installed on the vehicle as well causing the fuel injector tips to explode resulting in extensive repair costs. Thus, it is essential to separate and drain the water from the diesel fuel before it reaches the injection equipment.
Proper separation of emulsified water from diesel fuel is a long standing requirement for efficient diesel engine operation. Water removal is performed by a fuel-water separation filter mounted in the engine fuel system. The most typical filtration media found in such separators is hydrophobic barrier media, such as silicone treated cellulose. This media separates water on its water repellent surface. Water in the fuel is rejected and beads up on the upstream side of the media. As more water is rejected, beads coalesce into large drops, and drain into a collection cup. Another successful media is hydrophilic depth coalescing media, such as glass micro-fiber. The glass micro-fiber media has high affinity for water. As water in the fuel encounters the media, it associates with the glass fibers, where it is joined by more water over time, growing into massive drops. The water moves through the filter with the fuel. On the downstream side, the water falls out of the fuel flow into a collection cup due to its higher density, while the fuel rises out of the filter exit. Effective water removal from fuel is considered fundamental to the preservation of fuel injection systems, and thus, attaining emission targets.
Water in Fuel Sensor or WiF sensor indicates the presence of water in the fuel. The WiF sensor is installed in the fuel filter. When the water level in

the water separator reaches the warning level, the WiF sensor sends an electrical signal to an ECU or a dashboard. The WiF is used especially in the common rail engines to avoid the unit injector damage. The WiF sensor uses the difference of electric conductivity through water and diesel fuel by means of electrodes. One type of the WiF sensor uses a potting resin to isolate the electronic circuit. Another type of the WiF sensor uses an innovative co-moulding process.
Presently available water separator utilizes cavalier discharge of contaminated fluids into the environment has led to the design of water separators that collect the separated water in a container located at the bottom of the filter assembly. Such water separator requires that the driver of the vehicle periodically empty the separated water from the container prior to the container becoming full. A problem arises, however, in that the driver cannot always be relied upon to remember to empty the separated water when required. To overcome this problem, some water separators are provided with sensors which are activated when the water reaches a predetermined level in the reservoir, thereby energizing a signal light located on the dashboard of the vehicle which warns the driver of the need to drain the filter. However, such signals still require that the driver to stop the vehicle and manually empty the separated water from the filter unit. This poses a considerable inconvenience to the driver, and there is still no guarantee that the driver will not ignore the warning light on the dashboard. Again, conventional water separator with solenoids tends to be bulky as the stroke needed is in excess of 6 mm and hence causes the problem of flux leakages.

Therefore, there was felt a need to overcome the drawbacks of the presently available water separators.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a water separating means which is helps in efficient discharge of the water separated from the fuel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a water separating means which reduces the possibility of water condensates in fuel to cause failure of equipment of a vehicle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a water separating means which efficiently separates water from oil.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cost effective device for separating water from oil.
An added object of the present invention is to provide a water separating means which is compact and light in weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention there is provided with an automatic water separator arrangement for separation of water from fuel in a fuel tank of an engine of a vehicle, the arrangement adapted to cooperate with a filter body for removal of water therefrom, the arrangement comprising:
> a controller;

> at least one sensor adapted to cooperate with said controller and
said filter body through a valve assembly, said sensor adapted to
produce sensed signals corresponding to the presence/absence of
water in the filter body,;
> at least one solenoid adapted to cooperate with said controller and said filter body through an actuator assembly, said solenoid adapted to receive actuation energy from a vehicle battery through said controller;
> an ignition switch adapted to cooperate with the controller, the ignition switch adapted to be operated in sequence between a lock position, an accessory ON position, an ignition ON position and an engine crank position, the ignition switch adapted to actuate the sensor and the solenoid when the ignition switch is in the accessory ON position;
> a fault detector adapted to detect faults in the sensor, the solenoid and the controller; and
> an indicator adapted to display the sensed signals and the faults.
Typically, the solenoid cooperates with the filter body and is adapted to drain water therefrom when the engine is in an inoperative configuration.
Typically, the solenoid is actuated to drain water from the filter till the sensed signal indicates presence of water in the filter.
Typically, the controller is located separately from the actuator assembly. Typically, the controller is integrated with said actuator assembly.

Typically, the water from the arrangement is manually drained when at least one of the faults is detected by the fault detector.
Typically, the ignition switch is operated by an ignition key.
Typically, the arrangement is adapted to be operated on voltages in the range of 8 Volts to 32 Volts, the arrangement being provided with a twin spring system for, water draining and for air venting, the twin spring system being provided with springs having a spring constant of 1:6.
Typically, the sensor is actuated when the ignition switch is operated from the lock position to the accessory ON position.
Typically, the solenoid is actuated when the ignition switch is operated from the ignition ON position to the accessory ON position.
Typically, the actuation energy is stored by the controller when the ignition switch is in lock position.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method of operation of an automatic water separator arrangement for separation of water from fuel in a fuel tank of an engine and removal of water through a filter body, the method comprises the steps of:
> operating an ignition switch from a lock position to an ignition ON position via an accessory ON position;
> detecting faulty condition in the arrangement;
> sensing and displaying the presence/absence of water in the filter body;
> operating the ignition switch from the ignition ON position to the lock position via the accessory ON position; and

> actuating at least one solenoid and storing actuating energy for draining water from the filter body.
Typically, the step of draining water is carried out in the lock position of the ignition switch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the accompanying drawing and their description stated below, which is merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention and does not limit in any way the nature and scope of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates the water separator of the prior art;
Figure 2 illustrates the automatic water separator arrangement in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 3 illustrates the fitment of the various parts of the automatic water separator arrangement;
Figure 4 illustrates the sectional view of the actuator assembly in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 5 illustrates one embodiment of the actuator assembly in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the actuator assembly in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 7 illustrates the wiring connection between the various parts of the automatic water separator arrangement in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 illustrates a presently available water separator. The water separator (1) consists of a water drainage reservoir (2) at the bottom of the fuel filter connected by a drain tube (3) which expels the water to the ground. However, the water separator discharges contaminated fluids into the environment.
In order to overcome the disadvantages and envisage solutions to the presently available water separator, the water separator of the present invention was developed. The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which do not limit the scope and ambit of the invention. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
Referring to the accompanied drawings, an automatic water separator arrangement, in accordance with this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and is particularly shown in figure 2 of the drawing.
The automatic water separator arrangement (10), shown in figure 2, comprises of a filter body (12), a valve assembly (14), an actuator assembly (16), a drain tube (17), a controller (32) and a Water In Fuel (WIF) indicator (38). The automatic water separator arrangement (10) is installed in the

suction side or on delivery side of a lift pump and is required to be operate under vacuum as well as pressure conditions.
Figure 3 illustrates the fitment of the various parts of the water separator arrangement in accordance with the present invention. The filter body (12) of the automatic water separator arrangement (10) cooperates with the valve assembly (14). The valve assembly (14) is provided with a plurality of sensors (15). The valve assembly (14) further cooperates with the actuator assembly.(16).
Figure 4 illustrates the sectional view of the actuator assembly (16) in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment of the actuator assembly (16), shown in figure 5, the controller (32) is located separately from the actuator assembly (16). In another embodiment of the actuator assembly (16a), shown in figure 6, the controller (32) is integrated with the actuator assembly (16a). The actuator assembly (16) comprises of a hollow main body (18) open at both ends. The main body (18) encloses at least one pole body (20), a plurality of armature (22) and a plurality of solenoids (24). A plurality of pushers (26) is allowed to pass from the valve body (14) through the main body (18) of the actuator assembly (16). The end of the main body (18) of the actuator assembly (16), distal from the valve assembly (14) is provided with washers (28) and bearings (30).
Figure 7 illustrates the wiring connection between the various parts of the automatic water separator arrangement (10) with the controller (32) in accordance with the present invention. The solenoids (24) of the actuator assembly (16) and the sensors (15) of the valve assembly (14) is connected to the controller (32) which is further connected to an ignition switch (34), a

ground fault detector (35), a vehicle battery (36), and the WIF indicator (38) by means of wire connectors (39 and 41). The automatic water separator arrangement (10) is operable on voltage in the range of 8 Volts to 32 Volts. Hence, the vehicle battery (36) having a capacity in the range of 12V and 24V. The automatic water separator arrangement (10) is provided with a first opening for draining water through the drain tube (17) and a second opening for air venting. A twin spring system is provided to allow for draining of water and for air venting. The twin spring system is provided with springs having a spring constant of 1:6.
The ignition switch (34) of a vehicle is operable between four positions namely a Lock position, an Accessory ON position, an Ignition ON position and a Crank position by means of an ignition key. When the ignition switch (34) is in Lock position, the engine of the vehicle is not in operating condition. In the Accessory ON position, the automatic water separator arrangement (10) is turned on. The Ignition ON position of the ignition switch (34) is spring loaded so that the ignition switch (34) returns back to the Ignition ON position on reaching the crank position, once the ignition key is released. When the ignition key is inserted into the ignition switch (34) and turned to the crank position for cranking of the engine.
When driver changes the position of the ignition key in the ignition switch (34) from the Lock position to the Accessory ON position, the controller (32) checks the input from the sensors (15). If the presence of water in the filter body (12) is detected, the controller (32) latches on to the signal from the sensors (15). The latched condition of the sensor (15) is displayed on the

WIF indicator (38) as "Water draining ON" status. The controller (32) retains the WIF indicator (38) functionality.
When the ignition key in the ignition switch (34) is in the Crank position, the vehicle is cracked and vehicle starts running. The WIF indicator (38) indicates the latched condition and the driver can see the indication on the indicator panel. When the controller (32) first detects the condition of the presence of water in the fuel and the driver switches off the Ignition, the ignition key is turned to the Lock position via the Accessory ON position in the ignition switch (34). When the ignition key is in the Accessory ON position of the ignition switch (34), the controller (32) stores the power from the vehicle battery (36) and helps in actuating the solenoid (24) in the actuator assembly (16) to drain out the water through the drain tube (17). The water draining continues till the time the sensor (15) detects presence of water and "Water draining ON" status is displayed on WIF indicator (38). The logic of the controller (32) guarantees that the water is drained out only when engine of the vehicle is not in running condition. The logic of the controller (32) is such that during the normal operation of the automatic water separator arrangement (10), the fuel draining is completely eliminated. When water is completely drained out, the sensor (15) does not detect water and the controller (32) drops the stored power. Hence, when the driver starts the vehicle, the filter body (12) does not contain any water.
The controller (32) detects faults in the sensor (15), the actuator assembly (16) and fault in the controller (32). The faults detected are displayed on the WIF indicator (38) by continuous blinking of lamps. If controller (32) is not

faulty, the sensor fault condition and the actuator fault condition will be annunciated on WIF indicator (38). If the controller (32) is faulty, the faulty condition is indicated by non-glowing of the WIF indicator (38) when the ignition key is in the Accessory ON position. These conditions enable in indicating to the operator that servicing is required to be provided to the automatic water separator arrangement (10) by an authorized technician. Under the faulty condition of the automatic water separator arrangement (10), the water can be manually drained out from the automatic water separator arrangement (10).
The fault indicated in the fault indicating operation can be rectified shifting the ignition key in the ignition switch (34) for a preset number of times between the lock position and the Accessory ON position. The controller (32) detects the shifting sequence of the ignition key and rectifies the faults.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
The product as described herein above offers several advancements over similar products. The water separator arrangement of the present invention enables in automatically draining out the water separated from the fuel. Further, the water separator arrangement eliminates the situation which results as a result of negligence in manually draining out the water from the water separator. Again, the water separator arrangement is simple in operation, compact and light in weight. The water separator arrangement reduces leakage of flux, thermal requirements and can be operated at supply voltages in the range of 8 Volts to 32 Volts.

Wherever a range of values is specified, a value up to 10% below and above the lowest and highest numerical value respectively, of the specified range, is included in the scope of the invention.
In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of the present invention can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only. The numerical values given of various physical parameters and dimensions are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher or lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the invention.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

We claim:
1. An automatic water separator arrangement for separation of water
from fuel in a fuel tank of an engine of a vehicle, said arrangement

adapted to cooperate with a filter body for removal of water therefrom, said arrangement comprising:
> a controller;
> at least one sensor adapted to cooperate with said controller and said filter body through a valve assembly, said sensor adapted to produce sensed signals corresponding to the presence/absence of water in the filter body;
> at least one solenoid adapted to cooperate with said controller and said filter body through an actuator assembly, said solenoid adapted to receive actuation energy from a vehicle battery through said controller;
> an ignition switch adapted to cooperate with said controller, said ignition switch adapted to be operated m sequence between a lock position, an accessory ON position, an ignition ON position and an engine crank position, said ignition switch adapted to actuate said sensor and said solenoid when said ignition switch is in said accessory ON position;
> a fault detector adapted to detect faults in said sensor, said solenoid and said controller; and
> an indicator adapted to display said sensed signals and said faults.
2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solenoid
cooperates with the filter body and is adapted to drain water therefrom when the engine is in an inoperative configuration.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solenoid is actuated to drain water from the filter till said sensed signal indicates presence of water in the filter.
4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller is located separately from said actuator assembly.
5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller is integrated with said actuator assembly.
6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water from said arrangement is manually drained when at least one of said faults is detected by said fault detector.
7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arrangement is adapted to be operated on voltages in the range of 8 Volts to 32 Volts, said arrangement being provided with a twin spring system for water draining and for air venting, said twin spring system being provided with springs having a spring constant of 1:6.
8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensor is actuated when said ignition switch is operated from said lock position to said accessory ON position.
9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solenoid is actuated when said ignition switch is operated from said ignition ON position to said accessory ON position.
10.The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuation energy is stored by said controller when said ignition switch is in lock position.

1 l.A method of operation of an automatic water separator arrangement for separation of water from fuel in a fuel tank of an engine and removal of water through a filter body, said method comprises the steps of:
> operating an ignition switch from a lock position to an ignition ON position via an accessory ON position;
> detecting faulty condition in said arrangement;
> sensing and displaying the presence/absence of water in the filter body;
> operating said ignition switch from said ignition ON position to said lock position via said accessory ON position; and
> actuating at least one solenoid and storing actuating energy for draining water from the filter body.
12. The method as claimed in claim ft, wherein said step of draining water is carried out in said lock position of said ignition switch.